UNITED KINGDOM

UK: Oxford moves to defy government over admissions

The government is on a collision course with some of Oxford University's most prominent dons over demands that they "dramatically increase" the intake of disadvantaged pupils from the state sector, writes Daniel Boffey for The Observer.

The Observer learned of growing resistance to the government's plans within the university's academic community, elements of which are outraged that the institution has been asked to accept a wider range of students in return for charging the maximum tuition fees of £9,000 (US$14,511).

A transcript of a meeting by the university's sovereign body, the Oxford congregation, revealed that the university's head of admissions told colleagues the institution would not be a victim of "political expediency".
Full report on the Guardian site